Nearly Fat-Free Brownies

The only fat in these vegan and nearly fat-free brownies comes from 2 tbsp of flaxmeal that works as an egg substitute in this recipe and from some wonderfully nutritious walnuts. And since that is all healthy fat rich in Omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber and protein, who could possibly complain?

The brownies themselves are chewy, delicious, luscious. And what makes them extra-guilt-free is the fact that you have the option of making them with whole-wheat pastry flour.

I used cocoa powder in this recipe but if you want an additional chocolate punch, you could add 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips to the recipe. Just stir it in along with the walnuts.

Sift all the dry ingredients, including the flour, coffee, cocoa, baking soda and salt, into a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl mix together the maple syrup, water, sugar, flaxmeal mixture, and vanilla extract.

Whisk together until well mixed.

Add the flour-cocoa mixture to this in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition using a ladle or spatula.

Stir in the walnuts. The batter will be really thick.

Prepare an 8 X 8-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Leave an overhang on each side of the pan so you can easily lift the brownies out after they are baked. Spray some non-stick cooking spray on the foil.

Pour the batter in and, using a spatula or the back of a spoon, spread evenly in the pan.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool thoroughly. Lift out the brownies using the foil overhang as handles, and cut into squares. Dust with some powdered confectioners' sugar for a pretty finish.

Enjoy!

3.2.2925

Got a craving for more chocolate? Try my divine chocolate cupcakes.
**I don’t believe in the concept of hell, but if I did I would think of it as filled with people who were cruel to animals.–Gary Larson

It is definately not fat free. The flax is fatty so this recipe has more fat than a brownie made without any kind fat. This brownie is great with flax. I ve made it a number of times. But flax is the highest source of lignans and omega 3 in a vegan form. These brownies are fantastic because of the flax! Go for it! I am making them again today!

Donna, I appreciate the fact that you liked the brownies and thanks for letting me know. However, your comment is misinformed. Two tablespoons of flaxmeal, divided among 12 brownies, gives you 0.4 grams of fat in each serving from the flax. Were you to add eggs or butter– as a regular brownie would have– it would be far more than that.

Oh and i forgot those uwalnuts. Those are fatty also. Those are kept to a minimum….but is still fat. Its very misleading. If someone wanted a fat free recipe and did not want any fat..they would in fact get a low fat recipe. If you have a heart condition you may be told to lay off the fat including plant sources. Also the manufactures use this trick. The serving size is very small and they can say its non caloric or fat free if a teaspoon or so is under a certain amount. Your site says fat free. If you eat 2 brownies the fat gmams go up. I need 20 grams a day per mcdougall…uh oh..i just ate up 1/4 th of my allotment for the day. You re recipe is still wonderful. I made it fat free. It was still great!

“Fat-free” is like music to my ears. I make a version of these, but mine has butter. Should give your version a try. Btw, there’s a little more in your brownies from the walnuts, but its the good kind and I’m not copmplaining.

I did not have eggs and was looking for eggless baking and landed here – thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. I probably may never go back to egg/butter version. I will come back to your site for more guilt free food – calorie wise and other wise!!- Krithika

Hi vaishali..I made these brownies yesterday, but they turned out to be too crumbly..and not chewy and moist.. Any idea where i might have gone wrong..or any suggestions? i followed the recipe almost to the hilt.ThanksNeha

Neha, Your oven must be heating too much– it’s not something anyone but you can determine. I’d advise reducing the cooking time and doing the toothpick test earlier the next time.Also,I’m curious to know what you mean when you say you followed the recipe “almost” to the hilt– changing the smallest ingredient in baking can throw the whole recipe off. Replacing the maple syrup, for instance, would not make the brownie as chewy. Removing the flax would not make it as moist. Changing the type of flour could also have consequences.

Great recipe, I just finished baking them (and devouring them). However, do you have any suggestions as to how I could reduce the sugar. Any substitutions/reductions I could try next time.Also would using spelt flour be okay?

Hi Molly, You could replace some of the sugar with agave nectar which is low-glycemic. It might also make the brownies chewier. Substituting the sugar with artificial sweeteners would produce a drier brownie and I don’t recommend it.If you don’t mind less sweet brownies, you could just reduce the amount of sugar, You might want to reduce the baking time by a few minutes because there will be less moisture in the batter.I would guess spelt might work in this recipe, although I can’t honestly say since I haven’t tried it with spelt.

Best brownies ever!!! I slightly underbaked some (about 18 minutes) and they turned out gooey, fudgey and absolutely stunning. Also, I substituted 1/4 cup low fat peanut flour and some stevia! Thanks for the recipe!!!

hey vaishali!! u wud laugh if u knew how i stumbled upon ur site but m so glad i did! i ve 1 ques,what do u mean by whole-wheat pastry flour.is it the same as whole wheat flour(atta) m in jaipur and i dnt get all kinds of things here so was just curious. i hope u reply!!

Sonal, no it’s not the same– whole-wheat pastry flour is very low in gluten which makes it an ideal, healthier substitute for all-purpose flour which is refined. Atta flour has a higher gluten content. If you don’t have whole-wheat pastry flour, I’d suggest using just all-purpose instead.

Thanks for this recipe! I’ve now tried 3 different low fat vegan brownie recipes (one with black beans that I ended up having to throw away, which really made me feel guilty) and I’m hoping these will break my unlucky streak!

However, I have two small issues; I’m diabetic, so I will have to replace the sugar with sweetener (I acknowledge that you said this will make the brownies drier, but that’s fine) and I don’t have flax seed – can I replace this with applesauce?

Yes, replace the flax with 1/2 cup of applesauce. In fact, if you plan to skip the sugar and substitute sweetener instead, you might want to double the applesauce. That’s because sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking, not a dry one, and the applesauce would put back some of the moisture in the recipe.

I made these and substituted about half of the sugar with agave nectar, also added a couple spoons of peanut butter – turned out great! I didn’t leave them baking as long though, I took them out at about 20 minutes. Thanks so much for the great recipe!

I made these brownies today and was shocked at how well they came out….without oil or butter. Thank you! They have the texture of a chewy brownie without making you feel the guilt. I did take a reviewer’s suggestion and baked them for 18 minutes. That helped keep them moist. I also added some vegan chips and pecans, because I didn’t have walnuts. These are the low fat brownies I’ve been looking for!

These were delicious! Great recipe. The only fault I found was the aluminum foil; I had to peel it off of each individual brownie. I think parchment paper would’ve worked much better. Otherwise, perfection

Anna, glad you liked them. I agree with you about the aluminum foil — it is a problem when it enters the crevices in baked goods. I usually use parchment paper, but some readers in other countries don’t find it as readily.

Trackbacks

[…] vegan brownie in a mug. Then, further questioning my parenting, I decided that I should look up this delicious, fat-free, lower-sugar brownie recipe I’d made once before (it calls for the optional use of instant coffee–I either […]